Gear box



A. BREWSTER April 1, 1952 GEAR BOX Filed May 1, 1950 IN VENTO R H! 17w" 2? Brews ifm ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 1, 1952 GEAR BOX Albert Brewster, Bowling Green, Mo., assignor of one-fourth to John M. Butter and one-fourth to Frank W. Fitzgerald, Sr.,both of Bowling Green, and one-fourth to Chester L. Davis,

Perry, Mo.

Application May 1, 1950, Serial No. 159,247

2 Claims. I 1

My invention relates to a gear box of improved design and more particularly to a gear box whereby driving and driven shafts are in vertical and horizontal planes.

An object of my invention is to provide a right angle gear box where a driving or driven shaft extends from the bottom of said gear box and a novel construction whereby lubricant within said gear bOX is prevented from leaking therefrom.

Other and furtherobjects and advantages of the features of my invention.

of the box. I

of splines.

the bearing assembly 4a.

parts shown in the drawing.

my invention will appear from the specification oil shelf, as will be more fully described later. to follow and from the accompanying drawing The upper end of cylindrical member I3 extends which shows a suitable construction embodying into an annular groove in the bottom of ringgear 3.

It has long been known that gear boxes are Next will be described the path of oil circuladifiicult to lubricate and retain their lubrication tion, the manner in which it is directed, the locaand this is especially true where a driving or a tion and extent of the ducts, the reservoir and the driven shaft extends from the bottom of the gear unique structural details that make possible my box. The problem of an effective oil-seal is ever invention of an improved gear box. troublesome and the practice has been to employ The main reservoir for oil is the lower part of packing of felt or fibre Washers at the place Where an annular shaped space between the inner wall the shaft emerges from the box. The problem of box I and the outside wall of cylindrical shaped is not difficult of some degree of solution Where standard I2 and when the mechanism is static the driving and driven shafts enter and leave the the level of the oil would normally be over the gear box within one or more horizontal planes, lower edge of pinion-gear 5. it being possible in such cases towkeep the oil level present within the space between the inner wall above the entrance or exit points. This arrangeof cylindrical shaped standard I2 and shaft 4 ment is not possible however where the driving regardless of whether the mechanism is in motion shaft or the driven shaft extends from the bottom or stationary. In operation, the teeth of piniongear '5 carries oil upward to the teeth of ring-gear From the aw t W l be Observed hat I 3 and part of the carried oil is thrown to the top provide a box 5 to which is secured a top or lid 2. of box I, touching the lid 2 and into the inclined Within the box I, I provide a ring-gear 3 secured directing area I5. to the upper end of a vertical shaft 4 by means teeth of pinion-gear 5 are of greater length than In the bottom of box I where shaft 4 are the teeth of ring-gear 3 and the oil that is not emergesIprovide a bearing and support assembly carried by contact to the teeth of gear 3 has a 411 which is illustrated merely to show an opertendency of course to leave gear 5 at the outer ative structure, the support for the lower end of edge of the teeth. The oil thrown from the teeth the shaft 4 usually being the driving or driven of gear 5, having been caught by directing area mechanism, not shown, and making unnecessary 40 I5 of lid 2 naturally flows downward into an oil channel at the top of bearing race It.

Through the side of box I a driving or driven within bearing race It are in motion and the oil shaft 6 is provided, on the inner end of which a leaves the bottom of race Ill passing into oil paspinion-gear 5 is secured by means of key 1. As sages drilled through ring-gear 3. illustrated piniongear 5 and ring-gear 3 are sages through gear 3 are distributed the same disshown in section as is further true of most of the tance from the periphery and are sufficient in Gears 5 and 3 are number to carry only the necessary quantity of in mesh. Shaft E is shown supported in splitoil for the further lubricating of parts to be later bearings 8, the inner half of the race being described. This restriction is important and it secured to shaft 6 and the outer half being supis to be understood that the exact calculation of ported in a bearing plate assembly 9 securedto the size and number of the passages through gear the end of box I by welding. Of course the as- 3 Will depend upon the dimensions of the oversembly 9 can be cast as an integral part of box I. all design of the gears 3 and 5, and the speed of Secured to or formed as an integral part of lid 2 their rotation.

The lubricant, after so restricted in its pas is a supporting bearing plate assembly 2a to which is secured the outer section of a split bearing race In, the inner section being secured to the hub of ring-gear 3. A hub on the bottom of ring-gear 3 carries the inner section of another split bearing race I I, the outer section being carried by a cylindrically shaped standard I2. A second cylindrically shaped member I3 surrounds shaft t and is within standard I2, member I3 having an out-turned flange extending to the inner wall of standard 52 and constituting an No oil would be It will be observed that the The balls These oil passage through gear 3, passes next to split-bearing race II and to the top edge of cylindrically shaped standard 12. From the top of standard 12 and between this and the lower side of gear 3, I provide a passage-way for the oil to drain back along the end of pinion-gear 5 and the reservoir proper. A greater restriction is provided near the bottom of split-bearing race ll so that most of the oil takes the course over the top of standard l2. What oil does emerge along the bottom of gear 3 and the lower part of split-bearing race I I is caught by the angular shelf l3 from where it drains through apertures I4 in standard 12 returning to the reservoir. An important feature is the annular groove in the bottom side of gear 3 into which the top edge of shelf 13 extends. It is of course obvious that this groove could take the form of an extended rim overhanging along the inner side of the top edge of shelf I3, since when gear 3 is in motion the centrifugal force would carry the oil outward and it would leave gear 3 at the lowest and most distant area from the shaft 4. It can thus be seen that there would be no oil on the bottom of gear 3 other than that near the split-bearing race II and for a short distance therefrom, this distance determining the location of the shelf 13. It further is important to move the upper edge of shelf l3 nearer the shaft 4 as the speed of shaft rotation is reduced because then the centrifugal force would be less. It is also apparent that there would be no creeping of the oil toward the shaft 4 when the mechanism is sta tionary because the groove and upper edge of shelf I3 would afford a drainage path for the oil and it wouldnot creep toward shaft 4 along the bottom of gear 3, this being a dry surface.

It may be possible that structural changes and modifications of the arrangement I have shown and described are possible to achieve the improved results of my invention without departing from the spirit of my invention, and without departing from the scope of the following claims, What I claim for my invention is:

1. A gear box assembly comprising in combination a box having a removable lid, said lid carrying on the under side thereof a split-bearing race, a shaft extending through the bottom of said box on the upper end of which is secured a' gear, a second shaft extending through one side of said box on the inner end of which a second gear is secured which is in mesh with said first mentioned gear, said first mentioned gear having an upper boss engaging with said splitbearing race, apertures within said first mentioned gear positioned directly under said splitbearing race, said first mentioned gear having a boss on the under side thereof, a cylindrical shaped standard positioned within said box concentrically with said first mentioned shaft and spaced therefrom, a second split-bearing race carried by said standard and intermediatesaid standard and the boss on the underside of said first mentioned gear, apertures through said standard, an annular member having an upturned rim and said member secured to the inner side of said standard intermediate said apertures and the bottom of said box.

2. A gear box comprising in combination a housing having a side and a bottom, a horizontally located shaft entering said side and having a gear secured to the inner end thereof, a vertically located shaft entering said bottom and having a gear secured to the inner end thereof, said gears in mesh, said gear secured to the vertically located shaft having a central hub section, a radial groove within said hub section on the under side thereof, a complementary flange extending within said groove and secured to said housing, a bearing assembly and support therefor located within said housing, said hearing as 'sembly engaging with said hub section and 10-" cated a greater distance radially from said shaft than is located said groove.

ALBERT BREWSTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

